How to grow new roots on a paph, please advise

[Anyuta]

Hi, I have bought Paph. armeniacum x leucochilum ' In-Charm ' . Here is a link to its photo in bloom: Paph. (armeniacum x leucochilum ' In-Charm ' SM/TOS)

After about a month I noticed that its upper roots are mushy and after taking it out of pot it was obvious that most of the roots got rotten. I have been watering it on the same schedule as many of my other paphs in my collection, but seems like for this one it was too much.

Please please help how to recover it... I have never had a paph dying before, so I am not sure if maybe it was already shipped half rotten. This is the first time I will have to do something like trying to grow out a new roots on paph. I had some phals rotten before and I usually just place a bare root plant (or just the fan if all roots are gone) on a wet sphagnum and mist it from time to time and they grow new roots in no time. Would the same procedure be ok for this paph? Or do I need to buy some root stimulators or something like that? The fan is still pretty green and looks ok, only roots is the problem...

[Ghosthunt64]

What was recommended at Carter & Holmes Mother's Day Weekend Re-potting Workshop was to keep them dry, but mist daily to get the plant to search for the water, but she said for Paphiopedilums to keep watering it, because their terrestrial, and to hardly ever need to cut the roots...Sorry I can't be of any help.

[dounoharm]

i would pot it in fresh media, place a couple of stakes on either side of it to hold it upright, water it weekly....place a plastic bag over it to keep humidity up and hope for the best....gl

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

i would pot it in fresh media, place a couple of stakes on either side of it to hold it upright, water it weekly....place a plastic bag over it to keep humidity up and hope for the best....gl

I'll second this recommendation with just a couple additional comments. The stakes MUST hold the plant completely immobile. Any wobble is death to the new rooots that grow. And I would tuck a little extra sphagnum around the base of the plant to encourage roots. Keep the media just a bit dryer than you would for Paphs in general. Weekly water might be too much. The very humid environment inside the plastic bag does most of the work here, not wet media.

You may have to wait until a new growth starts be get abundant roots, but don't give up as long as the leaves stay green.

[Wynn Dee13]

I had a fan on one of my Paphs break off and it didn't have any roots. I just stuck it in the medium next to the main plant and it rooted all by itself. I didn't do anything special to it. I just watered it the same too. It might of been pure luck though! Good luck!

[NYCorchidman]

some paphs root more readily than others. depends on what kind of paph it is.
By the way, I agree with what paphmadman said above. Follow that idea and I wish you and your plant the best!

[Wynn Dee13]

Actually the Paph I have that rooted the way I said in my above post was Paph armeniacum, one of the parents of Anyuta's Paph.

[The Mutant]

Oh, I'm so sorry for you.

I have a rothschildianum that I'm trying to do the same with which I've done everything that PaphMadMan (except for the plastic bag, I don't have anything large enough for it so it stands in a deep bowl with leca pellets and water instead) with the exception that I've also placed mine on a heating mat. I really hope this will work, and I hope you'll be able to rescue yours too!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of our Paphs!

[Anyuta]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and help!!

I got it "setup" as PaphMadMan said, and I hope it will be ok. It still has couple of very short roots left (but they will probably be rotten too in few days/weeks), but my hope is for new roots. And if it will survive that would be a great experience for the future!

Mutant, I keep the fingers crossed for your paph as well. Post updates if anything.